Bolivia

Tuesday, December 10.We moved in the“casa de ciclistas” of La Paz: a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and, upstairs, empty rooms ready to welcome inflatable mattresses and sleeping bags… All this at the disposal of any cycling tourists stopping by, for as little as 20 Bolivianos (about 2 euros) per night. We immediately felt like home… So much that we eventually stayed there 2 weeks!🙂

Comfort was yet not solely responsible for our settlement. We first had to rest and recover from our 3 last and tiring weeks on the road.We did well at the beginning: high-protein meals (easy: 3/4 of the restaurants in La Paz are “pollerias”, chicken fast-food restaurants!), not too much bustle in the day and sleep in the night. But this diet did not last long. Each day more English cyclotourists moved in the casa de ciclistas, and 4 days after our arrival, a fine team had formed: David, Pete, Sam, Jen (all English) and us. Our nightlife then became way more active… and our physical remission went on in proportion 😉

It is 7 am. We are in front of the refuge. Eyes towards the Laguna Road. The handlebar between our hands. One foot on the ground, the other on the pedal. In a few moments, we will launch ourselves!.. “We will launch ourselves?” Say rather that in a few moments, we will try to set in motion the 65kg which we use as mean of transport. Never before our bikes have been so heavy… and still without battery! (in addition to the two weeks of food, we have now 9 L of water, so 6 more than usual, for 2 days of self-sufficiency) And never before we have riden on such a difficult path as the one that is waiting for us. During the next 10 days, the asphalt will remain the attribute of dreams…

The challenge is electrifying. And especially as we will certainly ride in the most beautiful landscapes we’ve ever seen until then. So beautiful that they will suffice to justify all our efforts? There is no more time to waste, it is only by throwing ourselves in the adventure that we will have the answer…

VAMOS!

The first turns of the pedals are amply rewarded: 2 km away from the shelter, we are greeted by the Laguna Blanca… We are facing THE most beautiful panorama of the trip! And if this is only the beginning, what does the next kilometers hold for us?